ASTANA, Jun. 1-The sixth meeting of China-Kazakhstan Committee on Environmental Protection Cooperation (hereinafter referred to as the Committee) was held in Astana, the capital city of Kazakhstan, between May 30 and Jun. 1. Chinese Chair of the Committee and Vice Minister of MEP Zhao Yingmin and Kazakh Chair of the Committee and Vice Minister of Energy Gani Sadibekov headed Chinese and Kazakh delegations to the event.

The meeting was held in an amicable, constructive, and pragmatic atmosphere. The two sides reviewed the intersession progress, heard the work reports delivered by the Transboundary River Water Quality Monitoring, Analysis, and Evaluation Working Group, and the Transboundary Rivers Emergency Response and Pollution Control Working Group under the Committee, deliberated and adopted the 2017 annual work plan, and had constructive discussions on future cooperation.

Zhao pointed it out that the Chinese Government has always highly valued the environmental protection effort, identified it as one of the basic State policies, implemented the national sustainable development initiative, and strived to address the conflict between economic development and environmental protection. Especially since the 18th National Congress of the CPC was held, China has made unprecedented efforts in environmental governance. The Chinese Government has initiated the action plans to combat the air, water, and soil pollution and made new strides in those fronts.

Zhao said that as neighboring countries and good partners, China and Kazakhstan are ready to, under the leadership of the Committee, implement the green “Belt and Road” Initiative and the Kazakh “Green Bridge” partnership, enhance mutual communications and cooperation, protect the water environment of transboundary rivers, discuss and have exchanges on air pollution control efforts and new environmental technologies, share successful experience and practices, steadily move forward with China-Kazakh environmental cooperation, bring benefits to the two peoples and advance green development.

After the meeting, Zhao and Sadibekov signed the meeting minutes and exchanged such documents with the Kazakh side as the Guidance on Promoting Green Belt and Road and the Belt and Road Ecological and Environmental Cooperation Plan prepared in Chinese, English, and Russian languages.